Blood Red Sky
by Darkfire Galaxy
Summary: Sequel to Blood Moon. If you haven't read Blood Moon yet, you need to go back and read it to understand this. Maddy is now stranded inside her own mind and must deal with the events of the blood moon playing on her conscience. Meanwhile, Tom, Shannon, Jana and Rhydian must try and make sense of everything in the real world.
1. Prologue

Wolfblood

Blood Red Sky

Prologue

"Oh god, get me out!" Maddy and Rhydian looked over at the frantic cry. A young girl had fallen in the river to their left and was clinging frantically to the wreckage of an old gazebo that someone had dumped in the water to avoid getting minced by the weir. Maddy and Rhydian raced across the bridge they'd been crossing and Maddy advanced to the water's edge. Black veins raced up her arms as she started to transform.

"You're going in your wolf form?" Rhydian rolled his eyes. "Maddy that could scare her so much she lets go anyway." Maddy knew he was right, but she was a stronger swimmer in wolf form. Besides, it wasn't like he was pitching in to help for some reason. He was just standing off to the side watching. She didn't know why, but there wasn't time to think. She jumped into the water, instantly able to smell all the rubbish people threw in there and dreading what that would do to her fur. As she pushed forward and reached the girl, her wolf suddenly abandoned her. She transformed back against her own will and ended up also clinging to one of the metal poles overhanging the water to save herself. It must have been because she was out of energy. She'd tough this out for two minutes to recharge before trying to transform again.

"Don't worry. I'll have you out soon!" Maddy called to the girl over the roar of the water. Suddenly, a voice seemed to invade her mind. It seemed foreign yet familiar at the same time.

" _That's right_. _I have to get out_!" Maddy looked over at the girl and nearly let go in that second. Instead of a human face, the head of a wolf stared back at her. But what freaked her out the most was the fact that she knew this wolf better than any other. Her own wolf was glaring at her with blood red eyes. " _If you want to help someone in need, let me out_!" Maddy couldn't hold on any more. As she let go, her body was spun to face the weir. But the weir was gone and so was everything around her. A gigantic version of her wolf's head stared back at her. As she was pulled toward it, it opened its mouth. She didn't have time to scream as she vanished into the darkness of its jaws. The only thing she could feel was a frantic shaking. Someone was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes and was blinded painfully by the light through the car windows.

 **Author's Note: This is the Prologue to Blood Red Sky as a taster, just like I did with Blood Moon. The rest will hopefully be up soon. I'm also toying with the idea of adding to Uncertain Future once I've finished this story. If you'd like me to do that, please feel free to review/message and say so. As always, feedback is welcomed so please review.**


	2. Chapter 1: Dream

Chapter 1

Dream

"Maddy come on, wake up." Rhydian's shaking became slower and less frantic as he noticed she was coming to. "Wow, I thought we'd lost you there. You went to a level even I couldn't help you at."

"What do you mean?" Maddy asked. "What happened to the blood moon?"

"You don't need to worry about that now." Rhydian said, wrapping an arm around her. Instantly, she flinched at his touch.

"You're freezing! And why are we in the car?" As she spoke, she looked over at her parents driving. Emma and Dan were fighting over what song to put on next and Dan was getting increasingly frustrated because he had to put up with Emma's teasing and keep one eye on the road while trying to listen to the Sat-Nav's directions. That was when she noticed there was a Sat-Nav in the first place. "Why do we have the Sat-Nav on?" she asked. "We never needed one before. Dad hates them as well. And why is Mum arguing to put Whitney Huston on? She hates her. This can't be real. Am I dreaming?"

"So what if you were?" Rhydian shrugged. "Actually, let's go with that for now. You're dreaming and this is the world you'll be temporarily working with. Why not just roll with it? After all, you could always wake up, couldn't you?"

"But I just woke up from a dream." Maddy was confused.

"So?" Rhydian shrugged again. "Don't you remember the riddle your mum told you years ago? 'I had a dream that I was dreaming then I woke up and I wasn't dreaming. Am I still dreaming?' She didn't tell you whether she woke up from the dream that she was dreaming or the dream in and of itself. It doesn't work. You can't truly answer it."

"How did you know she told me about that?" Maddy asked.

"You're supposed to be dreaming, remember?" Rhydian rolled his eyes.

"But I don't feel like I can wake up from this." Maddy replied. "I feel physically drained. What's really happening, Rhydian? I'm scared now."

"I probably should play straight with you, shouldn't I?" Rhydian muttered. Furious at being toyed with, Maddy let out a growl. Instantly, her wolf launched forward within her. The black veins raced through her arms so fast it was like they'd just spontaneously switched on. Her eyes glowed yellow and the wolf was so far forward that her pupils even shone green like a wolf's. Reeling in shock, Maddy suppressed the wolf and forced it back.

"I swear to god Rhydian, if you don't tell me..."

"Well right now, you're in a coma of sorts." Rhydian said, continuing quickly before she could panic. "It's nothing overly serious. All that's happened is that your body expended so much energy that it's effectively gone into a partial shutdown. You're confined here until you've recharged and this reality you've created is mostly to keep your brain stimulated."

"What do you mean by 'mostly'? Is there another purpose?" Maddy asked.

"I think you know." Rhydian replied. Just then, unwanted flashbacks of her fangs closing around the young boy's throat invaded her mind.

"Oh, god...!" Maddy felt ready to be sick.

"You have a lot of moral issues to work out, Maddy." Rhydian said. "The main way to do that is to remember the lesson your mum and dad taught you years ago. That lesson will guide you in times like this."

"So what's actually supposed to be happening now?" Maddy asked.

"You tell me." Rhydian shrugged. Maddy looked around slowly until she spotted the destination on the Sat-Nav.

"I know that place." Maddy noticed the destination name on the Sat-Nav. "We were going camping. It was a full moon trip as a well done to me for rescuing Liam from that hole. Mum and Dad told me they were planning it for the school holidays."

"Okay, so do you know what the campsite might look like?" Rhydian asked.

"We went there when I was little." Maddy nodded. "It was just before I skewered my foot with that garden fork. It was only for a couple of days, but it was fun."

"How long did you stay there?"

"It was about four days." Maddy shrugged. "This time, we were planning to stay for two days. We'd wolf out on the second night and leave in the morning. You were coming and we wanted to bring Jana but she left with the wild pack."

"Well if I were you, I'd get some sleep until we get there." Rhydian advised. "We've got quite some time yet."

"But if this is all in my head, couldn't I just rush things through so that we're there instantly?"

"That's not a good idea and I know you know it." Rhydian replied. "This has been set up so your body and mind can repair themselves. If you rush it, you can cause more damage."

"This worse than Inception and ten times more confusing!" Maddy let out a shriek like a banshee as she buried her head in her hands.

"Actually, you make a valid point there." Rhydian grinned. "Do you remember the scene where Leonardo Dicaprio tells Ellen Page how to control the dreams and there's a guy who looks a lot like Jefferies walking past them? The camera pans in on him briefly as he walks past."

"If we're in my head then you know I noticed." Maddy growled.

"You're getting good at this." Rhydian looped his arm around Maddy and let her lean sideways into him.

"So how do you feel real if it's in a dream?" Maddy asked.

"Do you remember the first Matrix movie?" Rhydian asked.

"I do but barely." Maddy nodded.

"It's basically the same principal." Rhydian shrugged. As he moved, it bounced Maddy' head on his shoulder and caused her to erupt into a fit of giggles. "In the bit where Cipher met with Agent Smith, he said about the steak and even though he knew it wasn't real he knew that when he put it in his mouth his brain would tell him that it was delicious. You know what I feel like so your brain tells you that's what you're feeling. If I were to flick you on the back of the head, you know what that feels like, so you'd feel it."

"So if I skewered my foot again…" Maddy realised. "If they were killed in the Matrix…"

"The body can't live without the mind." Rhydian nodded. "Don't worry though. You're only going camping. What could go wrong? This is supposed to be a form of down-time for your body to recharge and also for you to come to terms with the mental pressure of what you did."

"So I'll essentially be going camping twice." Maddy summarised. "I'm up for that."

"Well, I hope you enjoy it." Rhydian shrugged. "The blood moon obviously took its toll and didn't leave you with much."

"I'm going to be honest, I feel drained even though I was just asleep." Maddy mumbled into Rhydian's shoulder.

"Then I would take my advice." Rhydian replied as he shifted downwards in the seat so that Maddy's head could rest in the warmest part of his neck. "Go to sleep. See what you can dream of. This is basically a forced hibernation. You can get as much or as little sleep as you need. I recommend a lot though. Make the most of every chance. You'll recover quicker." Maddy decided to go for it. After all, she was doing herself no favours by thinking too hard about it.

"Can we just call this hibernation?" Maddy asked. "I feel less trapped that way."

"Hibernation it is." Rhydian shrugged. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

 **Author's Note: Okay... This is the one kind of author's note that I hoped I'd never have to write again after the first time. Unfortunately due to a corrupted data file, I have lost most of Blood Red Sky that I'd already written. However, I also believe that when one door closes, another opens. I am going to rewrite this and I'm planning to change the plot slightly since I felt things were going a bit stale and a bit flimsy. To tell the truth, I was getting bored writing it. Now I have an opportunity to do it again and do it better. The downside of this is that it might take a bit of time. While we wait, I plan to start writing the sequel to Uncertain Future and I might even work on the next Trouble in Paradise like I promised ages ago. Don't worry. The rest of this story is coming. It just might take longer than expected. Any and all support and encouragement you guys can show me in the reviews will be greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone for your patience and I'm so sorry this has happened.**


	3. Chapter 2: Reality

Chapter 2

Reality

"So, what the hell are we going to do about this?" Rhydian ran his hands through his hair. Tom had lost count of how many times he'd done that but was pretty sure he'd start pulling it out sooner or later.

"Okay, let's go over what we know so far." Emma said from where her head was buried in her arms as she rested it on the table. She felt like she was walking on her eyeballs and Dan had piled a mountain of painkillers in front of her. She had the type of headache that nothing was too good for. The only other time she'd ever had something like that, it had reminded her to watch how much she drank in the space of an hour when she was a teenager.

"Well, the blood moon seems to have affected you all differently." Shannon observed. "Jana can't remember a thing, Emma has a headache strong enough to knock out a team of Olympians and Dan's senses seem to have dulled to about those of the average person."

"What was that?" Dan asked as he walked in and sat next to Emma.

"The most concerning two seem to be Rhydian and Maddy." Shannon mused. "Rhydian has a lot of energy and only one thing to focus on, that being Maddy who is flat-out unconscious."

"So what does it all mean?" Emma mumbled frustrated.

"What?" Dan asked loud enough to make her wince and blindly reach up to smack him.

"Dan, go and do some woodwork." Tom rolled his eyes. "This clearly isn't working as it is." Dan looked hurt, but still got up and left the room. "Okay, how long has it been since dawn broke and Maddy passed out?" Tom asked.

"It's been about four hours." Shannon replied. "I haven't seen any change in her at all."

"So how do we wake her up?" Rhydian asked impatiently.

"Maybe I can summon Ceri down here and she can try some wild Wolfblood ritual." Jana suggested.

"Jana love, how about you go and relax in a hot shower." Emma said. "There's a spare towel in the airing cupboard and you're a bit filthy after last night."

"Okay, but I still think the Wolfblood ritual would work." Jana replied as she got up.

"We don't even know why she's asleep." Shannon shrugged. "Best case scenario, it's because she tried to resist the transformation and she essentially burned her body out. If that's the case, all she needs is time to recharge."

"What's the worst case?" Rhydian asked. Shannon didn't dare answer. Her silence confirmed what he'd already guessed.

"Well, don't count me out." Jana said as she moved over to the stairs. "I know I have a responsibility to the wild pack, but I'd never had proper friends before I met you all. I'll stay until this thing with Maddy gets resolved and then I'll have to head back."

"Okay, go and get your shower. We'll talk about it later." Emma nodded. "I'll get you that towel in a second." Jana raced up the stairs. Once she was out of earshot, Emma lifted her head off the table and turned to Tom and Shannon. "Okay kids, I know Bernie didn't retire to Spain." Tom and Shannon turned pale. "Jana can't remember anything, so I wanted her out of the room before I asked this, but what actually happened to him?" Again, Shannon couldn't bring herself to answer, so Tom spoke up instead.

"He got brought into the hospital just after you all transformed. Mum couldn't save him."

"I see." Clearly Tom hadn't just told her something new. "Was it one of us?"

"We think it was Jana." Tom nodded.

"Okay then." Emma rested her head on the table again and let out a groan of pain. Even keeping her head up was a challenge. "Let's just keep that between us. If she doesn't remember anything, let's not burden her."

"I think that's a secret best kept." Shannon agreed.

"Yeah, it's one of many." Tom muttered.

"So we just sit back and do nothing." Rhydian muttered furiously. "I can't do that. I'm going for a run."

"Okay love, go and clear your head." Emma said as she moved her head so that her sleeves were cushioning it. Rhydian got up and headed out, grabbing his hoodie from the coat hook and slamming the door shut behind him. Emma gave a pained wince.

"We'd better get home too and let our parents know what's happening." Tom shrugged. "I checked my phone earlier and found I had about ten missed calls from my mum."

"My parents are still away for a while." Shan checked her own phone. "Still, I'll probably recharge my phone and make a start on cleaning up the ruined door to the wine cellar. Honestly, I think I should make Rhydian do it since he broke it, but he's got enough on his plate at the moment."

"I agree." Emma mumbled. "Let's give him some space right now."

Up on the Moors, Rhydian collapsed, panting for breath. Tears streamed from his eyes. With no hope of controlling his anger and knowing it would drown him if it wasn't released, Rhydian slammed his fist into the ground and swore loudly enough to be heard in the next village over. Suddenly, something caught his attention. It was a noise almost silent even to his ears. Any normal human would have easily missed it. He looked up and was met face-to-face with a pair of eyes yellow enough to mirror and surpass his own. The primal energy flowing through the eyes that gazed at him seemed to effortlessly strip away his outer defences and look straight into his soul.

"Don't mind him, dear." Rhydian's head snapped up to look at an elderly woman standing by the creature's side. "You have nothing to worry about from him. My Echo here wouldn't hurt anyone he likes."

"That's…" Rhydian was lost for words.

"He has something to show you, dear." The woman beckoned for him to stand up. Rhydian hauled himself to his feet and gingerly followed as Echo turned around and started walking.

"Who are you?" he asked as they walked. "That thing's a…"

"When you get home, ask your friends about me. I met them last night." The old woman gave him a radiant smile. "I'm Sylvia Weathers."

"That name sounds familiar." Rhydian mused before his nose was assaulted by the stench of blood. His breath caught in his throat as he struggled to breathe. The powerful odour clawed at his throat and nostrils, making him feel like they were being sanded raw. "What the hell is…?" Rhydian looked to his right to see that Sylvia had disappeared. She'd vanished so completely with absolutely no trace to the point where Rhydian questioned if she'd ever been there at all. Shaking his confusion off, Rhydian followed the smell up a nearby embankment. As soon as he saw the source of the smell, he doubled over and fought to keep his breakfast in his stomach. He turned tail and ran back in the direction of the Smiths' house. They would need to know about this.

Back at the Smiths' house, the girls had decided to do something constructive to take their minds off everything while Tom was upstairs keeping an eye on Maddy in Rhydian's absence. Emma had downed some Aspirin and her head seemed to be clearing. While she was getting a jug of water from the tap, Shannon was beating eggs in a bowl and Jana was trying to weigh out flour on Emma's old weighing scales.

"So when these things level out, does that mean I have enough of this stuff?" Jana asked.

"I have no idea." Shannon shrugged. "I only ever used the digital ones."

"Yeah, you have to get them level." Emma nodded as she set the water down on the kitchen counter.

"Well I've got a lot of flour on here and they're not balancing." Jana said as she kept shaking the bag out onto the scales.

"Jana, you've still got all the weights on the dish!" Emma realised as she looked over. She moved over and took some of the weights off so that the right amount was on the dish. As soon as she did, the bowl with the flour in plummeted downwards.

"What does that mean?" Jana asked.

"That shows you've got far too much." Shannon was struggling not to laugh. Emma grabbed a table spoon and used it to shovel a large amount of flour back into the packet.

"That's okay, I've made worse mistakes." Emma brushed it off as the scales balanced and she rolled the top of the bag over to keep it shut. "Worse things _have_ happened in the kitchen. I think we're going to be fine."

"What was the worst thing that ever happened to you?" Shannon asked.

"Other than the headache from the blood moon I've just had, I once set fire to my mum's whole kitchen trying to make her breakfast for mothers' day." Emma replied. "I don't think I have to point out that she didn't see the funny side."

"If that headache was worse than that, it must have been awful." Shannon cast Emma an apologetic glance as she poured the eggs she was beating into the mixing bowl while Jana added the flour and Emma started pouring the milk in.

"If I had to describe it, I'd say it was like giving birth times ten but as a headache." Emma rolled her eyes.

"That sounds like the kind of thing the older wild Wolfbloods ask to be put down over." Jana commented unhelpfully.

"Are you calling me old?" Emma snapped.

"No, I was going to say that you're awfully young to be getting stuff like that." Jana defended.

"That was a beautiful save." Shannon muttered under her breath.

"Shannon, I have the residual scraps of a migraine. That doesn't make me deaf." Emma growled. Shannon was about to reply when Rhydian burst through the door. He was panting, sweaty and out of breath.

"What happened to you?" Jana asked, staring in shock.

"Rhydian, you need to calm down, love." Emma made her way over and escorted him to a chair. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Shannon reached for a glass on the drainer and got Rhydian some water. She took it to him and he gulped it back gratefully.

"How did your run go?" Jana asked.

"I just met the beast of Stoneybridge." Rhydian said through ragged gasps. "It just showed me two bodies. It looks like they were mauled by a wolf." Emma gasped and blinked back tears, sitting down in shock.

"I'd hoped I just imagined that part of the night."

 **Author's Note: Okay, so I know I said I'd start uploading chapters of this again and I'm late doing even that, but I've had some serious personal problems that started in 2017 and never really stopped pestering me since, so I hope you'll forgive me. This chapter was written in many stages while I tried to find the energy to re-write it. I hope you enjoy it and I will be updating this story in the future.**


	4. Chapter 3: Dream

Chapter 3

Dream

Maddy opened her eyes as the car pulled up at the camp site. Rhydian helped her sit up and she looked around through each of the windows taking in the view she was being offered. There wasn't much to see at that exact moment. They were in a narrow tree lane with a barrier blocking them from entering the site. Dan reached out the driver's side door and pressed a button on the side of the empty entrance booth.

"Who's there?" asked a man asked in a thick Scottish accent.

"It's Daniel Smith. We had a booking here." Dan said into the speaker.

"Aye, drive on through, lad." The barrier rose and Dan drove through.

"What's the point of having a booth there if he's not manning it?" Maddy wondered.

"Don't ask me." Rhydian shrugged. "This is _your_ dream."

"I guess technology advances all the time." Maddy muttered.

As they drove down the narrow lane, Maddy slowly became aware of sounds around her. There were birds singing in every tree and she could even hear the sound of a waterfall in the distance.

"This place is beautiful." Rhydian mused.

"I remember it pretty well." Maddy told him. "The clearing should be coming into view any second." Sure enough, the tree line eventually broke out into a clearing. No other cars were parked there. There was an old wooden lodge on the far corner of the clearing not far from the waterfall. It wasn't a small waterfall either. It was a great thundering waterfall that ended in a small lake at the bottom. If someone fell from the cliff at the top and landed wrong it could easily kill them. Wildlife thrived near the lake. The whole area was ringed with trees that housed families of birds nesting in their branches. Maddy could even see a young doe gazing at them between the tree trunks.

"This place is truly stunning." Rhydian muttered. Dan pulled up the car just as a man with a flaming head of red curly hair and an equally red beard came over and started looking through a book of guest listings

"Welcome to the campsite. I'm Mr Wallace. I'm the groundskeeper here. If you need anything, I'll be in that shack over there." The man's voice carried a thick Scottish accent. Maddy noticed the shack he was pointing to. It looked like a run-down wooden public toilet that had been crudely converted. It actually reminded her of the shack from a fairy tale her mother told her once.

"Is there any particular place you'd like me to park?" Dan asked.

"There's only one other family here at the moment so you've got free pick of the space." Wallace took the money Dan passed him and ripped the page from his book. "This has your name on it and proves you have a place here. Display it at all times and I'll check up each morning to make sure nothing is urgently wrong. No music after seven, but you can have a fire as late as you want. Barbecues are allowed at any time so feel free to have them. If you offer me some, you get a partial refund when you leave because I eat enough for an army." Maddy found that hard to believe. The man was like a stick insect and yet really well muscled at the same time. There didn't look to be a scrap of body fat on him. He was the sort of person Emma would take in and wouldn't allow to leave again until she'd fed him up so that he didn't look like an x-ray.

"Thanks, Mr Wallace." Dan nodded. Wallace returned the gesture and walked back towards his shack. Dan pulled away and turned right into the parking field. Sure enough, there was only one other car there. It was a convertible people carrier that looked like a scrap yard had coughed it up. Dan pulled in on the other side of the field and Maddy got out, stretching to work the stiffness from her joints.

"If you two want to go and explore, we'll set the tents up." Emma said as she opened the boot and she and Dan worked together to haul the tents out.

"I don't believe it." Dan muttered, a look of anger crossing his face.

"What?" Emma asked with concern.

"It's funny, I was only saying about this just before I left." Dan muttered. "Maddy, can you go over to the other family over there and ask if they have any spare matches or a lighter we can use tonight for starting the barbecue? If you have to, promise them food in exchange. It's not like we're short."

"Is the food in that spare rucksack?" Rhydian asked just as Maddy expected him to.

"It _is_ that rucksack." Dan replied proudly as he hefted the giant bag onto his shoulders and fought to keep his balance at the sudden shift in his centre of gravity.

"Okay, I'll go and see about those matches." Maddy nodded. She started off slow at first, breaking into a run as her muscles accustomed themselves to moving in the dream without actually moving in real life. She wondered what was going to happen to her body regarding physical degradation if she didn't wake up soon, but also remembered Rhydian's warning about not rushing the process. She would just have to bide her time and deal with rebuilding herself if she woke up. Instantly she wanted to snatch that thought back. She _would_ wake up. She _would_ get back to the waking world and see the real Rhydian again and she _would_ be able to right her wrongs to the best of her ability.

"Who's that?" Maddy heard a woman's voice ask. As their eyes met, the woman's husband and son emerged from their tent. Maddy felt time slow down around her and dropped to her knees as she started hyperventilating. She didn't know the woman at all, but the husband and son looked all too familiar. She felt Rhydian's arms around her in an instant.

"Maddy, stay really calm and tell me exactly what's going on!" he instructed quickly but gently.

"It's them from the blood moon." Maddy fought to control her breathing. "My wolf broke free of the cellar and killed them!"

"But was it truly your wolf?" Rhydian asked. "Was it your wolf, or was it you?"

"I wasn't in control." Maddy dropped her head into her hands. "It was like watching a video."

"So why do you feel guilty about their deaths?" Rhydian asked.

"It was _my_ wolf that killed them!" Maddy protested as a copper taste crept into her mouth. "God, I can still taste their blood!"

"That's just psychological." Rhydian told her. As soon as he said that, the copper taste faded from Maddy's mouth. "The only way through this thing is going to be to face it head-on."

"Rhydian, I don't think I could _ever_ face them!" Maddy practically screamed.

"You don't have to do it yet." Rhydian replied calmly. "It's whenever you're ready. This is just to test the waters. You don't even have to talk to them. Just talk to the wife with them around."

"Do you think there even might be someone at home waiting for them?" Maddy asked hopefully.

"There probably is." Rhydian shrugged. "Do you remember you saw them walking through Stoneybridge once? That blonde woman was with them."

"That doesn't follow she was the kid's mum or the man's wife!" Maddy practically spat.

"No, but it'll serve a purpose." Rhydian helped Maddy up as everything seemed to speed up again around them. "Off you go." Maddy reluctantly trudged over and turned to the woman.

"Hi, can we borrow some matches, please?" she asked. "We've forgotten ours."

"Oh, of course, dear…" The woman reached over to the table she'd just set up and grabbed a box of matches. She slid six out and passed them over.

"Thanks." Maddy nodded gratefully before turning to run back, not missing the dead-eyed glare from the man as he ambled over and wrapped a protective arm around his wife.

"Was that so hard?" Dan asked as he took the matches and tucked them into his wallet before turning back to what he'd been doing. Maddy took another glance over at the couple, wondering if the boy was in the tent and praying he wasn't going to run up behind her and catch her by surprise.

"More than you'll ever know."


	5. Chapter 4: Reality

Chapter 4

Reality

"Well, that explains everything." Jana sighed as she slumped down heavily. "I don't believe this!"

"Right, I've called the police and said that you just stumbled across them while you were out running." Dan said as he walked in pale-faced. "If they come and ask questions, that's the story."

"How are your senses?" Shannon asked.

"They're coming back slowly." Dan nodded. "They're restoring themselves one by one. My hearing and smell are back, but my taste and sight aren't yet. They're still the same as they are on any dark moon."

"So, how about you, Jana?" Tom asked. "Are your memories coming back?"

"No, I think they're completely gone." Jana shook her head. "I don't think I'm ever going to remember that night and I think it's for the best."

"I think you're right." Shannon nodded. Suddenly, an idea seemed to strike Rhydian.

"So, if Emma and Dan's side effects are wearing off, does that mean Maddy might be improving?" he asked.

"Well, you can always go up and check. There's no harm in it." Emma shrugged. Needing no more invitation, Rhydian moved past them and rushed up the stairs. Shannon watched him go with a lump in her throat.

"What's the matter, Shan?" Tom asked, turning to her.

"I just worry about how Maddy might deal with all this when she wakes up." Shannon mused.

"Well, I hope for her sake she remembers nothing." Emma glared sharply at the floor. "I can't imagine how she'll feel. But whatever happens we'll be there for her."

"Of course we will." Dan nodded as he wrapped an arm around Emma. She leaned close into him for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

Upstairs, Rhydian entered Maddy's room slowly and cautiously, unsure of what he'd find. He could hardly see the covers rising and falling as she breathed. Slowly, he walked over and crouched down next to the bed. Using his wolf hearing, he honed in on her and pulled the covers back slightly. Now that they weren't muffling the sound, he could clearly hear her heartbeat. It was strong and keeping good rhythm. Sighing, he put the duvet back and rested his head against hers. Outwardly, she looked slightly pale. Her temperature didn't seem to be up. Her being pale wasn't too much of a concern after the trauma of the previous night. Still, he decided he'd better let Emma know when he went back down.

"Is everything alright?" Rhydian jumped a mile. He hadn't heard Jana coming up the stairs.

"She's a bit pale, but I guess that's normal after something like last night."

"She's so… still." Jana muttered as she walked in and sat next to him before giving a sharp empty laugh. "Sorry. I know it just sounds so stupid stating the obvious like that."

"It's fine." Rhydian shrugged. "I just had to double check she was even breathing."

"I don't like this." Jana adjusted herself so she was sitting with her back to the bed. "Do you want me to try Ansion?"

"I don't know about that." Rhydian looked at her uncertainly. "She could still just be sleeping. It's only been about five hours. Let's just wait until we either know a little more or can see things are going sideways."

"I guess so." Jana shrugged. "Sorry, it just feels like a lot longer."

"I know what you mean." Rhydian nodded. "We never _did_ get to go on that date."

"What date?" Jana asked, looking up at him.

"I asked Maddy out about two days before all this started." Rhydian told her.

"Okay then." Jana shrugged, as she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Rhydian asked, looking at her.

"What actually _is_ a date?" Jana asked. Rhydian burst out laughing. "Seriously, I heard loads of girls talking about it in school, but what _is_ it?" she asked.

"Okay…" Rhydian began, unsure how to explain it. "You know when a boy and a girl really, really like each other?"

"You mean like Aran likes me?" Jana asked.

"Does he?" Rhydian shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen what you two have between you so I can't really comment. You know how Shannon likes Harry?"

"Oh, it's like _that_!" Jana realised. "So that means Shannon and Harry are 'dating'?"

"Yeah, the disco was their first date." Rhydian explained. "Well, I like Maddy in the same way, so I asked her out on a date. She said yes, but we haven't had chance to actually go out yet."

"Well, congratulations." Jana muttered with seemingly no tone or meaning. "Sorry, that sounded flat. I'm happy for you, really."

"I understand." Rhydian nodded. "It's not easy sounding happy when you can't remember the previous night and you have a friend who's unconscious and unresponsive."

"This could be serious." Jana pointed out.

"I know that." Rhydian struggled to keep the stress out of his voice. "There's really not much we can do until we _know_ it's serious. If we call a doctor before things go bad then they'll literally just say 'Let her sleep' and that'll be it." Jana let out a sigh of frustration.

"There has to be something we can do!" she muttered fiercely. "Can we at least check her eyes? If this is serious then that's probably where we'll find a sign."

"Is this Ceri's healing 101?" Rhydian asked.

"It's one of the first things she did when they were unconscious." Jana told him. "She always said that if you couldn't see their eyes because they were closed, then that was the first place you should check."

"Well, I guess it makes sense." Rhydian muttered as he reached over to Maddy and gently tried to open one of her eyes. Initially, he did so with a view to checking pupil dilation like he'd heard Tom talking about once, but as he opened Maddy's right eye he saw something that made him recoil. Her eye stared back at him, the iris burning blood red. Rhydian let go as though she were white hot, her eye instantly closing again.

"What the hell was that?" Jana asked, watching his reaction. "What did you see?" Rhydian took a few deep breaths before daring himself to speak again, the colour draining from his face.

"Whatever's happening to her, I think this is only the beginning."


	6. Chapter 5: Dream

Chapter 5

Dream

Maddy lay awake in her tent, her sleeping bag around her seeming to provide no warmth. Rhydian had his own sleeping bag and was sleeping contentedly, but she just couldn't seem to. Normally, she'd cuddle into him and they'd share, but something about that felt wrong to her. She loved Rhydian to the ends of the earth, but this wasn't really him. This was just a dream she was having while her body repaired itself.

Sighing, she realised she probably wasn't going to get any more sleep, so she got up and quietly pulled her shoes on. She ducked out of the tent flap, trying to enjoy the night air. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a breeze. It made a depressing kind of sense. She wasn't outside. Not really. If she had to guess, she was probably in her room. There was no way Rhydian would have just left her lying outside unable to do anything. But if she truly was in her room, would it have killed him to either crack the window or turn up the heat? Just anything to create a through-draft or remote air current... That would probably be the first thing she did when she woke up. The other thing she wanted was an emergency hog roast night if it wasn't a Wednesday when she came to.

Maddy paced, unsure of what to do. It was weird how this hibernation was working. She could hear the frost-covered grass crunching under her feet, but couldn't feel it or the obvious cold that should be there. She knew she should sleep, but she also had a seemingly boundless level of energy. She was tempted to transform and run, but she knew wouldn't do any good. That energy was a sign her body was repairing itself. She needed to conserve it.

" _Don't resist it_." The voice was barely a whisper, but it was there. Suddenly, Maddy felt the transformation start. She hadn't even called it forward. It wouldn't stop. Her jaw elongated and her bones re-shaped as fur spread across her body. In seconds, a wolf stood where she once did and took off running at breakneck speed. She wasn't in control. It felt just like it did during the blood moon. She could feel the pent up homicidal rage at every little thing that had ever happened to her, be it anger at herself for stupid or embarrassing things she'd done to people at school who always had a go at her size or her clothes or whatever else they could. She genuinely wanted to kill them all and she hated herself for it!

' _Is this another test of some kind_?' Maddy wondered to herself as she fought to regain control. ' _If it is, someone went_ way _too far_!' Try as she might, she couldn't take control back. Her wolf kept running, burning energy she knew she needed. It was only after about ten minutes that it stopped and reached a small stream. It dipped its head to drink and Maddy was shocked to see blood red eyes staring at her in the reflective surface of the water. This time, she fought like never before. She thrashed and screamed from inside the prison of her own body, forcing herself to transform back. It felt like she was being ripped apart. Still, she pressed on. Eventually, she collapsed onto the grass and took several shaky breaths. She now felt even more drained than when she'd first entered the dream. This dream that was now more like a nightmare…

"What the hell was that?" Maddy muttered to herself as she splashed some water on her face. It had no effect. Of course it didn't. She stood up feeling frustrated and defeated. "I'm glad that's over. That felt even worse than usual."

" _You wound me, young Wolfblood_!" The voice resonated in her head so intensely it physically hurt. " _I thought we were close_!" On impulse, Maddy spun on her heel and froze. A small brown wolf stood there, legs spread out into an aggressive stance. The blood red irises seemed to see right through her.

"You're… This is impossible!" Maddy backed up a few paces and the wolf advanced, determined not to allow her any ground.

" _This isn't impossible_. _This was inevitable_."

"How can you do this?" Maddy asked. "You're my wolf! We're one and the same!"

" _We were_ never _one and the same_!' the wolf corrected her. ' _The consciousness of a Wolfblood's wolf exists in just a few strands of DNA_. _Ever since your first transformation, I've been trapped inside,_ _forced to watch you take all different kinds of abuse day after day_! _To share a body with such a fangless coward is sickening_!"

"I'm not a coward!" Maddy protested. "I threw myself into danger loads of times! I put the secret and my pack at risk to keep my friends safe!"

" _How many chances did you have to tell your friends the secret_?' The wolf let out a snarl. ' _You'd sooner see Shannon committed than put yourself at risk_. _She only found out in the end because she_ had _to_! _She found out because you put saving her life above the secret and why did you do that_? _If Ceri had murdered Tom and Shannon the police would ask questions_. _It wouldn't just be you anymore_. _Every Wolfblood would be in the firing line_! _Yet you didn't think about the safety of the rest of your pack_. _You should have taken them out covertly the next chance you got and hidden the bodies_. _No witnesses means it never happened_."

"I'd never do that!" Maddy yelled, hot tears springing to her eyes.

" _And because you couldn't, she managed to hide a camera in the den_! _If that wasn't enough, you then forced her to delete everything she'd gathered because you couldn't bare the fact she had dirt on you_. _You wanted her to suffer for all the problems she'd caused you before she knew_. _The secret just became a tool for you to hurt her with_!"

"Screw you!" Maddy screamed, trying to call her wolf forward. Then she remembered that it was her wolf standing right there in front of her. She was defenceless.

" _Tomorrow night, the full moon in this dream will give me the power to take control of your body back in the physical world_.' The wolf turned and stormed off, her tail swinging angrily behind her. ' _When I do that, the full moon in the real world will allow me to take control permanently_."

"You can't do this!" Maddy yelled at the wolf's disappearing figure as she headed into the undergrowth.

' _The only way to stop me is to die in the dream_.' The wolf paused briefly, tail swinging angrily. ' _Do you have the courage to do that_?' Without waiting for a response, she took off at a run. Maddy collapsed to her knees and sobbed.

It took her a good two hours to walk back to the camp. By that point, dawn had just broken. Her parents and Rhydian were talking to Mr Wallace, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She must have lost her enhanced senses as well when she separated from her wolf. Emma glanced up and saw her approaching, taking in the state of her pyjamas.

"Maddy Smith, where the hell did you go? And what happened to you?" Maddy collapsed into her arms, burying her head in her neck.

"I need your help."

"Is this a matter I need to call the police over?" Mr Wallace asked, looking at Maddy with concern as he ran his hands through his beard.

"No!" Maddy protested too quickly. "Look, I just need to talk to my family alone."

"Fair enough, then." Mr Wallace grabbed his cane and turned to leave. Just before he did, he turned back to Daniel. "If you think you _do_ need police, you need only come and find me. I'll let you use the phone in my shack."

"Okay, thank you." Dan nodded before turning back to Maddy. "What happened?"

"My wolf got loose." Maddy said in a rush.

"What?" Rhydian asked dumbly.

"She forced me to transform last night and then tore her way out of me!" Maddy elaborated, trying and failing to keep her voice down. "She's planning to use the full moon tonight to gain control of me!"

"That's impossible!" Rhydian protested. "A split like that just _can't_ happen! If it did and you were split like that, you'd die on the next dark moon. If your wolf goes into the physical world controlling you and you're the one trapped, you'll be dead in two weeks!"

"But she said she needed the full moon in the real world to make the change permanent!" Maddy protested.

"Maddy, the next dark moon is coming before the next full moon." Dan reminded her.

"So she was lying?" Maddy guessed.

"I don't know if anyone's wolf has ever tried this before." Emma muttered. "She might not even _know_."

"She might just not care." Maddy shrugged. "She hates me."

"Maddy, you have a tendency to think everyone hates you over just one little argument." Rhydian said, only half joking. "Remember Shannon and the disco? That turned out okay, didn't it?"

"So, what the hell are we going to do?" Maddy asked.

" _We_ can't really do anything." Rhydian sighed. "I'll be there for moral support, but this is _your_ dream, remember? We don't hold any power here. We're just a part of it."

"So I'm basically stuck on my own!" Maddy ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Is this even a part of the dream? If it is, then this is way too much!"

"No, it isn't." Rhydian's tone told her he was completely serious now. "This threat seems very real."

 **Author's Note: Okay, so it's been a while since the last time I updated this. Sorry for that. I've got a lot of stuff going on right now, but I promise I'm trying to update when I can. I've finished writing it, so it's now just a matter of uploading the chapters. Please feel free to review. Your feedback is one of the things that inspires me to keep writing.**


	7. Chapter 6: Reality

Chapter 6

Reality

Rhydian rested his back against the bed as he slept. The whole house was quiet. Behind him, Maddy was still motionless on the bed. As he slept, his body twitched violently. He saw the blood moon again. Maddy was running towards the two victims, her fangs closing around their throats. He saw her lying there in a coma as he sat next to her willing her back to him. He saw the days pass into weeks.

"Rhydian, are you okay, love?" His eyes snapped open, bright yellow irises making the dark room appear as though it were lit at mid day. His throat was dry and he gasped for breath as sweat ran off him. Eventually, his breathless gasps turned into sobs and he allowed Emma to hold him close. Emma didn't even have to ask what was wrong.

"What if she doesn't…?" Rhydian couldn't bring himself to finish.

"If she doesn't wake up, it won't be because we didn't try." She scratched him gently just at the base of his skull just like she did with Maddy when she was stressed. Instantly, Rhydian felt his pulse slow and his right leg start to twitch. Emma saw it and burst out laughing. Part of her hated herself for it. Rhydian had told her about Maddy's red eyes and she'd instantly rung the Vaughans. As far as they and the school were concerned, Maddy had been in an accident and it had left Rhydian shaken so neither of them would be in school until next week. Emma was trying to convince Rhydian she could just be sleeping off a lack of energy from resisting the transformation, but secretly she hoped that until next week was enough time.

"Jana mentioned about how still she is." Rhydian muttered. "Ever since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

"Well, Jana speaks her mind." Emma shrugged. "She's right though. I've never seen her so still. To that extent alone, I'm enjoying the quiet and you should make the most of it too." Rhydian gave a humourless laugh.

"Honestly, I'd stay awake for a straight week if it meant she was up and about right now." Rhydian said seriously.

"It's probably not even serious." Emma said, trying to sound like she was trying to convince him rather than herself. "She'll make it. She's literally been stubborn right from the word 'go'."

"How literally do you mean that?" Rhydian asked.

"Basically, I was in the maternity ward and someone said 'Go'. From that moment, Maddy started being stubborn." Emma told him.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." Rhydian nodded with a grin. Suddenly, something caught his attention. "Wait, what's that?"

"I can't see anything." Emma looked at him perplexed. "I'll put the light on." A second later, there was a sharp click and Rhydian's eyes were assaulted by the bedroom light. Dark veins were emerging in Maddy's neck just under the collar of her shirt.

"Is she veining up?" Rhydian gently pulled down her collar. Sure enough, he could see it clearly. Being cautious, Emma moved her top lip up slightly. Maddy's teeth were slowly transforming into fangs. On moving the covers down to look at her hands, Rhydian could see that they too were showing signs of slow transformation. A quick check of her eyes also revealed that they were still blood red.

"This is either really good or really bad." Emma muttered.

"Is she regressing?" Rhydian asked.

"I don't know what's happening here." Emma said truthfully. "I just know I don't like it. I'm getting Dan up and calling the doctor right now. Stay with her and call us if anything changes drastically."

"I will." Rhydian nodded. Emma vanished through the door. Rhydian heard her gently kicking Dan awake. Shortly afterwards, he walked in bleary-eyed while Emma hurried downstairs to get to the phone.

"So, what exactly seems wrong?" Dan asked.

"We think she's starting to transform." Rhydian told him. "The problem is that her eyes are still red. She might be going feral again." That seemed to snap Dan back to his senses.

"Okay, Tom told me about the trick with thistle roots. I'll run and dig one up to see if it'll help. Stay there." With that, he ran off. Rhydian sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking Maddy's hand in his own. It was unbelievably cold to the touch. As he ran his fingers over hers, he could see them shaking ever so slightly. As he looked, he could see microscopic movements racking her entire body. She was shivering.

"Emma, get up here!" Rhydian yelled. He could hear Emma frantically charging up the stairs with her phone in her hand.

"The doctor says he's on the way." Emma said, looking in on them. "What's wrong?"

"Maddy's shivering." Rhydian told her. "She's gone insanely cold. We need a thermometer."

"Are you sure she's not shivering because she's burning up?" Emma asked.

"No, she's definitely cold." Rhydian said as he held her hand up. "You feel that." Emma quickly moved across the room and touched the hand Rhydian was holding. He was right. It felt like that time Maddy had managed to super-glue her hands to the inside of the freezer as a child and they'd had to use Emma's hair dryer and Dan's screwdriver to get her out of it.

"I'm getting the thermometer." Emma tried to hide her panic. "Dan's gone out to dig up thistles but he forgot his key. When I get back, can you go downstairs and wait there in case either he comes back or the doctor gets here. I need someone down there to open the door for them." Rhydian nodded but didn't trust himself to speak. "Look, I know you're concerned." Emma said as she disappeared into the bathroom. "You love her. It's only natural. You want to do all you can and that's why I need you downstairs to man the door."

"Okay." Rhydian nodded and started to head downstairs just as Emma came back with the thermometer. Her words had shaken him. How could she know he loved Maddy? As far as he knew, Maddy hadn't told her parents that Rhydian had asked her out. He'd always tried to keep is feelings closed off to stop anyone exploiting them. Had Maddy really lowered his defences that much that anyone could read him like an open book? Was Emma's 'mother's intuition' just _that_ strong? Had she overheard the two of them planning their first date? No, they did that in the darkroom when Tom and Shannon weren't around. That was impossible.

A sudden knock at the door snapped Rhydian out of his thoughts. He hurried to answer it. Whether it was Dan or the doctor, it couldn't be anything but good. Rhydian opened the door to see that it was actually both. Dan stood there panting while the doctor looked like he'd just driven about three times the speed limit to be there.

"Where is she?" the doctor asked. Rhydian discreetly sniffed the air. This man was a Wolfblood. That was good. He knew there were probably a few human doctors who knew the secret, but right now a Wolfblood was their best hope.

"She's upstairs. Her temperature seems far too low." Rhydian said, beckoning them to follow. Once they got to the top, he pointed out which door it was. Emma was already in there so the doctor took the thistle root from Dan and went inside. Emma shut the door behind him.

"Come on, let's go and sit downstairs." Dan said as he wrapped one arm around Rhydian and pretty much dragged him along. It was only once they got downstairs that Dan actually took a second to stop and breath. "Sorry, I think I panicked a bit there. Do you want a drink?"

"I'll just have water, thanks." Rhydian nodded. Dan went and got a glass out from the top cabinet and passed it to him. He then went to the cupboard under the stairs and grabbed something from it. "Now what are you doing?"

"You said she was cold." Dan replied as he flicked the kettle on. "That's what hot water bottles were invented for."

"Okay, that's a good idea." Rhydian tried to manage anything other than a worried grimace, but didn't have much luck.

"Rhydian, you're about as subtle as a house brick." Dan sighed as he pulled out a kitchen chair and beckoned for him to sit down. He did so and crossed his arms tightly, his heart hammering in his chest so fast it made his ribs hurt. "It's obvious how you feel about her. She came home one day totally ecstatic about something, but couldn't tell us what because we had unwelcome guests. I've only ever seen her that happy once before. It was when she was ten. On her tenth birthday, we gave her the first camera she ever called her own. We also told her that she was old enough to know true responsibility and that she had to pay for film with her pocket money, but she didn't care. She was just elated to have a camera. The only time I've ever seen her that happy is when she's been wanting something badly for a long time and finally gets it. On her tenth birthday it was a camera. Five days ago, I could only think of one thing capable of making her that happy."

"What was that?" Rhydian asked, looking up at Dan as he filled the hot water bottle.

"Rhydian, _you_ are the only thing that's been keeping her happy ever since you got back." Dan told him, putting the cap on the rubber bottle. "I know we weren't quick to take to you after that, especially when you invited Jana onto the territory as well. To tell you the truth, I'm still not entirely sure where everyone stands, especially after we had to kick you out for the blood moon. Don't get me wrong, we wanted to let you stay. It was just too dangerous."

"No, I get it." Rhydian gave Dan an understanding glance. "Yeah, I'm still annoyed it was so last minute but apart from that I wholeheartedly understand why you had to do it. I know I didn't before the blood moon but I tried to kill people that night. From the sounds of it, Maddy succeeded."

"That's exactly what I'm getting at." Dan muttered, a dark look crossing his face. "Rhydian, all I know is I love my daughter. All I want is for her to be happy. I've never in my life seen her as happy as she is now. Whatever happens when she wakes up- and she _will_ wake up- it won't be us she needs at the end of the day. If it's likely to be anyone, it'll be you." Dan turned away to hide the fact tears had sprung to his eyes, but Rhydian could smell the salt. "You look after her, or I _will_ kill you in your sleep."

"That's reassuring." Rhydian muttered.

"Maddy needs you, Rhydian." Dan reiterated. "What I need is for you to prove to me that her feelings towards you are entirely justified and that you'll stand by her no matter what. I'm not counting the blood moon. We were dangerous to you that night and you were dangerous to us. But she'll need you there for the aftermath."

"I'll be there, Mr Smith." Rhydian promised him.

"For god's sake, call me Daniel, Rhydian." Dan sighed. "How many times have we told you now? Go on; take that hot water bottle upstairs before it gets cold." Rhydian nodded and grabbed it, instantly recoiling at the heat from it. Dan took it by the top and handed it to him properly. Rhydian ran off up the stairs to give it to Emma. The more he thought about it, the more determined it made him. Maddy's parents were right. When she woke up, he was going to have to be prepared to deal with anything. If she didn't come out of it okay, it wouldn't be because they didn't try.


	8. Chapter 7: Reality

Chapter 7

Reality

"So, can you tell how bad it is?" Emma asked as she nervously bit her thumbnail.

"Well, all her vital signs are stable but she's definitely not just asleep." The doctor scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Her heart has slowed to the bare minimum and so has her breathing. She's definitely in a coma. What's concerning me is her scent. It's not the typical Wolfblood scent." Emma's face was a look of confusion. Cautiously, she breathed in, taking note of everything. The doctor was right. Maddy did smell different in a big way.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"I have no idea." The doctor was clearly baffled. "The truth is, it's not the scent of someone who's in a coma. I smell this scent all the time in Wolfbloods who are transformed."

"Don't they just smell like Wolfbloods?" Emma shrugged.

"When we transform of our own will, we smell exactly the same." The doctor started packing his thermometer away. "When we transform by the full moon, our scent completely changes. Only an estimated two percent of non-wild Wolfbloods can smell it. Luckily, I'm one of them."

"Well, the blood moon was only about a day ago." Emma reasoned. "She resisted the transformation so it could be to do with that. But why wouldn't Jana mention it? She's a wild Wolfblood."

"I'm sure she had her reasons." The doctor gave a shrug. "She probably said a prayer to Friogearde and hoped that would be sufficient."

"I can't believe this!" Emma's eyes flashed yellow. "What the hell did she think she was playing at?"

"Don't knock wild Wolfblood religion, Mrs Smith." He let out a sigh and picked up his bag. "She only did what she knew and if we're being honest we really don't know anything for definite. I'm afraid we've done all we can. The rest is up to her." Suddenly, they turned as someone knocked on the bedroom door.

"Mr Smith sent me up with a hot water bottle." Emma opened the door to see Rhydian standing there. She gratefully took the bottle and pulled back the bed covers, placing it on Maddy's stomach before pulling them back across.

"Thanks for that, love."

"How is she?" Rhydian was almost afraid to ask. Emma could see him shaking almost imperceptibly.

"She's doing fine, pet." Emma assured him. "Let me just see the doctor here out and then I'll tell you what's going on." Rhydian nodded and stood aside wordlessly to let them through. Emma led the doctor to the door and opened it. He went to leave, but turned with one last warning.

"I have to warn you, Mrs Smith: no one to my knowledge has ever seen anything like this before. If you want to have a chance at getting answers, your best hope is to look outside the human world." As Emma slowly clicked as to what he was meaning, a grin spread across her face.

"I think I know just the place to start." She waited until the doctor departed before shutting the door and turning to Dan who was looking at her expectantly.

"Well?" he asked, clearly as desperate for answers as Rhydian.

"You've heard of Doctor Dolittle. There goes doctor do stuff all!" Emma's expression soured. "He put some blankets under her feet, washed that thistle root off you gave him and stuck some under her tongue to see if that had any effect and basically spent the last half an hour swanning around the room trying to look like he was actually doing something _remotely_ helpful. Get Rhydian down here, I need to talk to you both." Dan nodded and hurried upstairs as Emma trudged exhaustedly to the sofa and threw herself down. It only took a few seconds for Rhydian to get downstairs, practically jumping most of them in the process. Dan wasn't far behind him.

"Okay, so what's actually going on?" Rhydian asked as Emma pointed to the other sofa.

"Right, well he wasn't really much help." Emma shrugged. "I think the hot water bottle was literally the first bit of sense I'd heard that night. Fortunately once we'd had that we seemed to be on a roll when it came to the sensible talk. Apparently a Wolfblood's scent changes when they transform as a result of the full moon and Maddy's didn't change back with the rest of her. What that means, he doesn't know."

"Yeah, I've noticed that!" Rhydian realised. "I noticed it when she and I transformed together on Lindisfarne."

"So you can smell it?" Emma looked perplexed. "He said that it's estimated only two percent of domestic Wolfbloods can smell it."

"Yeah, but don't forget my mum is a wild Wolfblood." Rhydian reminded her. "It must be in my genes like Eolas."

"Oh, well congratulations on hitting the genetic jackpot. Now how does this help Maddy?" Dan practically yelled at no one in particular.

"Dan, it's okay." Emma rested a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"So does that mean he told you what we need to do?" Rhydian gave Emma a pointedly expectant look.

"He told me who to go to for advice." Emma offered. "Rhydian, do you think you could get your mother down here?"

"What?" Dan practically spat. "Emma, we've just had the blood moon! There's no telling what state she'll be in! Hell, there's no telling if she's even _alive_ after something like that! No offence there, Rhydian."

"That's okay." Rhydian said in a tone that suggested he was making obscene gestures at Dan behind his back.

"Okay, so say she's still alive, do you think you could contact her?" Emma persisted.

"I think I remember Mum telling me something about Wolfbloods being connected through Eolas." Rhydian muttered thoughtfully. "I guess they send messages through it or something."

"So it's like a psychic text message." Dan was clearly hating every aspect of this idea.

"I suppose it is." Rhydian let out a sigh. "The problem is I have no idea how to do that. I've only really mastered the seeing aspect of things. I know this sounds incredibly pathetic since she's my mum, but I have no idea how we can do it."

"I think I know who does." Emma grimaced. "We need to have a word with her anyway. I want to know what else she's been hiding."

 **Author's Note: Sorry this one is so short. The rest of them are longer, I promise. Please feel free to review. Your feedback inspires me to keep writing.**


	9. Chapter 8: Reality

Chapter 8

Reality

Jana knew she was in trouble as soon as the door opened that morning. Tom and Shannon were exchanging nervous glances behind her, but she knew that they weren't the ones everyone was angry at. Dan stood to one side and invited them all in. They crossed the threshold nervously, feeling none of the usual warmth as they opened the door. Dan and Emma ushered them into the living room and waited for them to sit down.

"What's going on?" Shannon couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice. She tried to meet Rhydian's eye but he wouldn't look their way. "Oh god, don't tell me Maddy's…"

"She's still alive." Dan said, causing all three of them to visibly relax. Shannon wiped tears from her eyes. She'd clearly been wound tight as a coiled spring all night.

"You've been keeping secrets haven't you, Jana?" Emma asked rhetorically, glaring daggers at her.

"You've _what_?" Tom turned to look at Jana with a horrified expression. Seeing that much shock and anger on his face was like a punch in the gut for Jana.

"We called a doctor out last night and among loads of useless crap I already knew he told us something _very_ interesting." Emma gave a sarcastic grin.

"How interesting are we talking?" Shannon asked.

"It's interesting enough that if I see it written down anywhere I will burn it!" Dan gave her a sharp glare. Shannon shut up instantly.

"Jana, did you know a Wolfblood's scent changes when they transform under the full moon?" The tone suggested Emma knew the answer.

"No." Jana replied, seeming genuinely perplexed. Emma let out a fierce growl.

"You're lying." It wasn't a question this time.

"No I'm not." Jana shrugged. Emma's eyes flushed yellow as she took a threatening step forward.

"Mrs Smith, she's not lying." Rhydian stepped forward seeming calmer than anyone expected. In fact, he seemed just as confused as Jana did.

"What's everyone going on about?" Tom asked. Rhydian decided to put it all out in the open to explain.

"When a Wolfblood transforms on a full moon it changes their scent. No one knows why and hardly any non-wild Wolfblood can smell it." He looked between Tom and Shannon in turn to make sure they were following. "I've always been able to smell it since transforming with Maddy on Lindisfarne, but I didn't think anything of it. It was my first time transforming with another Wolfblood and I thought she could smell it too. I never bothered to flag it up."

"But she can't smell it, yet you can?" Rhydian could see Tom was struggling.

"I don't know whether Maddy can or not." Rhydian shrugged. "What matters right now is that _Jana_ can't smell it. All wild Wolfbloods are apparently supposed to be able to pick it up, so why can't she?" Jana dropped her head and let out a sigh.

"I'm going to tell you guys something, but it must never go any further."

"What?" Emma scoffed. "You're keeping stuff from us and now you want us to do the same?"

"My mother wasn't wild." That made everyone pause. Jana's face had turned as red as her hair. "She initially came from the tame Wolfbloods. She discovered Eolas and ran away." Dan's eyes flicked sideways to see that Emma had gone pale.

"How could I not notice?"

"What?" Jana looked up to see Emma sitting down shakily.

"How could I not notice?" Emma repeated. "You look just like her as well."

"Okay, _now_ what's going on?" Shannon sounded like she was on her last nerve and the day had only just started.

"I honestly have no idea." Jana sighed. "Lately, that's nothing new."

"Wait there." Dan said, moving to a shelf. He traced one finger along it until he found what he was looking for. He picked out an old book with a leather wrapped spine and blew the dust off it before bringing it over. He set it down on the arm of the sofa next to Jana. "Have a look through that and see if you can see your mother in there."

"Why would she be in here?" Jana asked. "I don't even know if I'll know her! I barely remember what she looked like! She died when I was about six!"

"Just have a look." Dan sat down next to Emma and took her hands in his. Jana picked up the photo album and started looking through.

"Are they getting at what I think they are?" Tom asked before Shannon gestured for him to be quiet.

"That's her." Jana's voice was little more than a whisper. "I remember my father telling me we had the same eyes." Dan took a look at the person Jana was pointing to before bringing it across to Emma.

"That's my cousin Louise." Emma nodded, struggling to hold tears in. "Is this real?"

"So, what does this mean?" Tom was mentally trying to piece it together. "Does that mean Jana is your niece?"

"That also makes her Maddy's cousin." Shannon nodded thoughtfully. "You know, that actually explains a lot. No wonder they were so competitive."

"Why the hell are we talking in past tense now?" Dan interjected.

"Shan, I know there was that school council thing, but apart from that when have they ever been competitive?" Tom asked.

"Please tell me you're joking." Rhydian said as he and Shannon turned to look at Tom. Tom's expression didn't change. "Oh god, you're serious aren't you?"

"I'll admit we are _very_ competitive." Jana got up and started pacing.

"Tom, they were fighting over Rhydian, Maddy's clothes, Rhydian…" Shannon started ticking points off on her fingers.

"You mentioned Rhydian twice." Tom pointed out.

"That's how much they fought over him."

"Yeah, that was really uncomfortable." Rhydian reached up and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I think we're getting a bit off topic here." Dan rolled his eyes. "Look, we need a way to call Rhydian's mother here since she probably knows the most about wild Wolfblood healing. If anyone has a remote chance to know anything about this, it's her."

"I remember her saying wild Wolfbloods are connected through Eolas but I have no idea what I'm doing." Rhydian confessed. "I said the same thing to Maddy's parents last night. You're the closest thing we have to an expert, Jana."

"I told you I can do it." Jana assured them. "I'll need to be connected to nature though. I'll head up onto the Moors to do it."

"I'll go with you." Tom offered. "After the blood moon, anything could happen and the last thing we need is anything going wrong."

"Tom, that's sweet, but you're not a Wolfblood." Jana hated to say it, but she needed to. "If someone should attack me, you'd just get caught up in the crossfire."

"Uh, we survived being attacked by _all five_ of you, didn't we?" Shannon countered, clearly offended.

"Yeah, I can still feel someone's teeth marks in the side of my head when they jumped on me." Tom added. "I'm just lucky dawn came before you guys did real damage."

"That's exactly what I mean!" Jana protested. "You managed okay, but if we're attacked on mass then you're just more bodies for me to protect! We most likely won't see anyone anyway. I didn't smell anything on the way here from the caravan. I'll go alone."

"Why don't I go with you?" Rhydian shrugged. "Mum's more likely to come if she knows I'm there."

"Yeah, but she's more likely to _help_ if she feels she's doing it for _you_." Jana shot back. "Rhydian, your place is here with Maddy. It always has been."

"She _is_ right actually, pet." Emma admitted. "Go on and I'll bring you some breakfast in a bit." Rhydian nodded as though he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing and darted off upstairs. If anything, he seemed grateful to just get away from the conversation. Jana stood up to leave before hesitating.

"Is it okay if I cut through your back garden?" she asked. "If I bring Ceri back that way as well, it'll attract less attention."

"That seems fair enough." Dan beckoned her to follow and led her to the back door. "I'll be waiting right here to let you back in."

"I don't know how long she'll be in getting here." Jana told him. "I just want you to understand that."

"That's okay." Dan reasoned. "Let's just see what happens."

"Okay." Jana sprinted out through the back door and vaulted the back fence, heading for the Moors. As she neared the tree line, she could already feel the natural energy supercharging her and calling to her in a way that the human world never could. But as she neared the tree line, she stopped dead in her tracks. A figure stood silhouetted against the trees. Jana instantly recognised their scent.

"Where is my son?"

 **Author's Note: Well, it's been a while since I updated and I'm sorry. I'll do my best to get the rest of the chapters posted as quick as possible and then keep working on my next story. There will be an announcement at the end too, so stay tuned for that.**


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